Can opening receptacle handle



R. A. WENDLANDT 2,933,807

CAN OPENING REcEPTAcLE HANDLE April ze, 1960 Filed May 5, 1958 INVENTOR. Ranald IZ Whdlandl' ATTYs States Patent 4 Claims. (Cl. 30-10) This invention pertains to tools for opening sealed food y and refreshment containers and more particularly to a hand operated tool of the class described that is primarily,

intended to be mounted on a portable receptacle to serve as a drop handle for lifting and carrying the receptacle.

It is the principal object of the invention to provide a device of the type indicated having a tin can ,'puncturing blade which is at all times protected against accidental damage and is likewise guarded so that users of the portable receptacle will not be injured by unintentional contact with the blade.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rugged, durable, ornamental, and convenient tool Vfor opening sealed food and. refreshment containers which is capable of being mounted on a portable receptacle and utilized to lift and carry said receptacle from place to place.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a novel and simplified device for maintaining a tin can in puncturing position with respect to the handle operated blade; to provide a one-piecevreceptacle mounted bracket that has a single moving part in the form of a blade carrying, ringshaped handle; and to provide an improved hand manipulated tool which has lateral projections adjacent the blade that engage the can bead to support the can in opening position for operation by the puncturing blade.

To the accomplishment of the above and related obv jects my invention is preferably embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawing, attention being called to the fact that the drawing and description are illustrative only and that changes may be made in the specic construction illustrated and described, so long as the scope of the appended` claims is not violated.

In the drawing wherein like reference numerals indicate similar parts throughout the several views: Fig. 1 is a side elevationalr view of a .portable receptacle, represented as a picnic cooler, showing oneof the handles thereof in position to puncturethe end wall of the conventional tin can for packaging foods and refreshments, or the like.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, fragmental, perspective view of one of the opener-handles as it might appear when removed from the portable receptacle shown in Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2 illustratingV the opener-handle mounted on the side wall of the portable receptacle shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view similar to that shown in Fig. 3 illustrating the opener-handle in operative position with respect to a tin can to be opened thereby.

Fig. 5 is a fragmental, sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 2 showing the opener-handle attached to the side Wall of the portable receptacle shown in Fig.A l.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, it will be seen that my can opening receptacle handle, generally indicated by the reference numeral 8, is illustrated as applied to a portable receptacle such as a picnic cooler 9 that has an upstanding side wall 10, a bottom 11, and a top closure 12. The picnic cooler is of the usual type and consists of spaced external and internal containers both made of metal and having a heat insulating material filling the space between the two containers.

As illustrated in Fig. 1 a pair of my handles 8 are mounted in opposed relationship on the side Wall 10 of the portable receptacle and, as best shown in Fig. 2, each handle comprises a bracket 13 that has a one-piece body formed with a receptacle mounting base 14. The base is substantially rectangular in plan and is suitably provided at its corners with holes 15 through which are passed rivets that secure the base to the receptacle side wall 10. This base also has a central hole 16 formed therethrough and is provided with a laterally elongated, downwardly opening hood shaped portion 17 projecting from the upper portion of the base and surrounding the said hole 16. A pair of laterally spaced walls 18 and l9extend outwardly at right angles to the base and close the opposite ends of the hood shaped portion, said walls each having a bearing hole 20 formed therethrough in positions to be in axial alignment with each other. y

A ring-shaped drop handle 21 is swingable mounted on the bracket 8 and, as best shown in Fig. 2, is substantially rectangular in coniiguration to provide a straight portion 22, and parallel extensions 23 and 24 connected to the ends of the straight portion which at their ends are connected to a hand hold portion 24 disposed parallel to the Astraight portion 22. The straight portion 22 extends lateropening out into said hole 16 in the base.

ally between the side walls 18 and `19 of the bracket and has its end portions journalled in the kbearing holes 26 formed in the side walls 18 and 19. The straight portion is precluded from axial displacement in said bearing holes of the side Walls by means of shoulders or othe abutments 25 projecting from the projecting ends of the straight portion 22.

A V-shaped blade 26 is mounted on the central part of the straight portion 22 of ,the handle by forming a slot 27 in the straight portion and driving the blade into the slot so that the broad end is aixed tothe handle whilst the major part of the blade carrying a sharp point projects radially from the said straight portion.

The downwardly facing opening in Vthe hood 17 has a very irregular configuration, said opening being indicated by the reference numeral 28 in Fig. 2. The contigui-ation of the downwardly facing opening may include a pair of depending fingers 29 and 30 spaced on opposite sides-of the center of the hood and forming between thema semicircular seat 31 which, as shown in Fig. 3, preferably toreceive the upper edge portion of the usual crown type bottle cap'32 that is illustrated in dotted'lines insaid iigure. The lower edge of the basearound the hole 16 ,isv notched at 32, said notch being V-shaped in plan and This notch freely receives and houses the V-shaped blade 26 when .the drop handle is in its inoperative suspended position on the bracket 14.

A pair of laterally spaced, can beadgripping abutments 33 and vSill project outwardly from the base and are positioned-on opposite sides of the notch 32 formed therein.

It will, therefore, be seen that I have provided a drop handle 21 that may be swingably mounted on a bracket 8 suitably fastened to the side wall 10 of a portable re- 4 ceptacle,` or the like. When it is desired to lift and carry the receptacle it is only necessary to grasp the straight portion 24 of the handle rotate it lupwardly through so that the handle extends above the top of the receptacle and then lift said receptacle with the handle. In the event it is desired to open a refreshment container such as a bottle having the usual crown type cap, the capped bottle is placed in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3 of the drawings wherein the upper part of the edge of the bottle cap will be held between the ngers 29 and 30 within the notch 31 formed in the hood 17 whilst the opposite side of the crc-wn cap Patented Apr. 2 6, 1960,

ein bear against the can gapping abutments ss and sa the' handle 21 upwardly into a position approximating that shown' in full lines in Fig. 4, inserting a can underneath the hood such that the top bead thereof will rest upon the gripping abutments 33 and 34 of the base and then by forcing the handle downwardly the blade 26 will enter the topv end wall of the can and puncture a holeftherein for removal of the contentsfof kthe can.

Having thus described my invention and the objects attained thereby, what I laim is:

1. A device of the character described comprising a bracket for attachment' t the side wallV of a portable receptacle, said bracket having a one-piece body formed with a mounting base having a central hole formed there through, a laterally elongated, downwardly opening hood shaped portion projecting from the base, a pairV of laterally spaced walls extending at right angles from the l base and closing the opposite ends of the hood shaped portion, said end walls each having a bearing hole formed therethrough in axial alignment with each other, a ringsha'ped handle having a straight portion extending laterally between the end walls of the bracket and having its end portions journalled in the bearing holes, a V-shaped blade rnounted Von the central part of the straight portion and adapted toglie within the contines of the hole in the base when the handle is in inoperative, suspended position, said blade being conlined in the bracket Within the hoodwhen the handle is in its upper lift position, and a pair of laterally spaced, can bead gripping abutments within the hood and projecting outwardlyfrom the base on opposite sides of the blade and beneath the straight portion of the handle.

2. A device of theA character described comprising a bracket for attachment to the upper part of the sidewall pending position beside the rreceptacle wall to an upstanding receptacle lifting position, a V-shaped blade mounted on thecentral part of and projecting outwardly from the straight portion of the handle and swingable by the handle entirely within the hood, and a pair of laterally spaced can bead gripping abutments on the base and positioned within the hood and projecting outwardly from the base on opposite sides of the' blade and beneath the straight portion of the handle.

3. As an article of manufacture a bracket having a hoilow,v mounting base, a laterally elongated, downwardly opening hood shaped portion projecting from the base, a pairr of laterally spaced walls extending at 'right angles from the base and closing opposed ends of the hood shaped portion, said end walls each having a bearing hole formed therethrough in axial alignment with each other, a ring-shaped handle having a straight portion disposed within the hood shaped portion and extending laterally between the end walls` of thevbrack'et, said straight porvtion having its ends journall'ed in the bearing holes, said handle having swinging movement in the bearing holes between an inoperative depending position to an upstanding position, a V-s'haped' blade' mounted on the central part of and'projecting' outwardly from the straight por'- tio'n' of the handle and swingable by the handle entirely within the hood, and a pair of laterally spaced abutments on the base positioned within the hood beneath the straight portion of the handle and projecting outwardly from the base on opposite sides of the blade.

`4. As an articleofl manufacture a hollow mounting base, a pair of laterally spaced apart ears extending at right angles from the base, a downwardly opening hood portion projecting from the base, a ring shaped handle having'a straight portion journalled at its ends in the ears on the base, a V-shaped can puncturing blade l l mounted on the central part of and projecting outwardly of a portable receptacle, said bracket having a one-piece body formed with a mounting base, a laterally elongated, downwardly opening hood shaped portion projecting from the base, a pair of laterally spaced walls extending at right angles from the base and closing opposed ends of the hood shaped portion, said end walls each having a bearing hole formed therethrough in axial alignment with each other, a ring-shaped handle having a straight portion extending laterally between the end walls of the bracket and having its end portions journalled in the bearing holes, said handle having swinging movement in the bearing holes between an inoperative de-r from the straight portion of the handle and swingable by the handle entirely within the hood, and a pair of laterally spaced can bead gripping abutments on the base, positioned within the hood beneath the straight portion of the handle' and projecting outwardly from the base on opposite sides of the blade.

References Cited in the tile of this patent 

